Family lunch with parents at a Sokcho makguksu restaurant: Topgol

A 5-minute walk from Sokcho Beach: lunch with my parents

I went on a trip to Sokcho with my family. Since we were traveling with my parents, the priority was finding food that suited their taste and wouldn't upset their stomachs — nothing too spicy or greasy.

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch / Address: 12 Haeoreum-ro 188beon-gil, 1st floor, Sokcho-si, Gangwon, South Korea / Hours: 09:30–21:00

Luckily, Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch, a restaurant specializing in buckwheat dishes, was near where we were staying, so we headed there for lunch.

The restaurant sits about a five-minute walk from Sokcho Beach. We'd been walking along the shore with the wind in our hair when we got hungry and checked the map — it turned out to be much closer than I expected, which made getting there easy.

Where to park at Sokcho Topgol Makguksu

We'd been driving for over three hours, so we parked at a nearby public lot first. Walking toward the restaurant, I noticed a sign announcing 2 hours of free parking support. Parking fees near tourist spots can add up, so this was a welcome surprise.

Inside at 2 p.m. on a weekday, and how to order

We visited around 2pm on a weekday, well past the usual lunch rush, but the restaurant was still fairly full. Most of the other guests were families like us, or older diners.

One wall was covered with autographs from celebrities who had visited, which naturally caught my eye.

Ordering was done through a tablet kiosk installed at each table. From choosing the menu to paying by card, everything was handled right there, so we didn't need to flag down staff at all.

What we ordered and what it cost

Since we came as a family, we wanted to sample a variety, so we ordered several dishes to share. We got deulmemak (₩13,000), reportedly trademark-registered with the patent office, along with makguksu (extra portion, ₩13,000), pollack salad buckwheat noodles (₩13,000), warm perilla buckwheat noodle soup (₩12,000), and buckwheat pancakes on the side.

After ordering, the basic side dishes — mu-saengchae (spicy radish salad) and yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) — arrived. They were crisp and refreshing, not overly seasoned, and perked up our appetite. Any extra we wanted was self-serve from a bar on the side, so we refilled a couple of times without any fuss.

Buckwheat pancake (memil jeonbyeong)

The buckwheat pancake arrived first, its buckwheat wrapper thin yet chewy. Inside was a generous, spicy kimchi filling — not greasy at all, just light and satisfying.

Deulmemak: buckwheat noodles with perilla oil

Next came the restaurant's signature dish, the one that's earned it a reputation as a deulmemak mecca in Sokcho. The name is short for deulgireum memil-makguksu (perilla oil buckwheat noodles). The bowl was piled with buckwheat noodles topped with finely chopped perilla leaf, gim (seaweed) flakes, and a generous pour of nutty perilla oil. Mixing it up with chopsticks and taking a bite, the deep nuttiness of the perilla oil and the fresh perilla leaf aroma came together perfectly. With no heavy seasoning, the flavor came purely from the buckwheat noodles and oil — my parents kept reaching for more. This is the dish to order if you come here.

Makguksu: buckwheat cold noodles, extra portion

The basic makguksu was mildly spicy without the seasoning overpowering anything. The noodles must have had a high buckwheat content, because they weren't chewy in a stretchy way — they broke cleanly with each bite, no scissors needed. The more I chewed, the more a subtle buckwheat aroma came through. A textbook-perfect makguksu.

Pollack salad buckwheat noodles

The pollack salad makguksu paired chewy seasoned pollack salad with the noodles for a savory depth. The seasoning didn't sit on top — it blended naturally into the noodles, making every bite fun to chew.

How to pour the dongchimi broth over your noodles

Each table comes with a slushy dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) broth on the side, to pour over the noodles as you like. After eating the mixed noodles about halfway through, I ladled some dongchimi broth in — the noodles turned soupy and finished refreshingly cool and moist.

Perilla buckwheat noodle soup

The last dish we tried, the perilla buckwheat noodle soup, had a broth so thick with perilla seeds it was almost sticky. Just one spoonful filled my mouth with deep nuttiness, and the soft buckwheat noodles went down easily — perfect for warming up after the cold dishes.

Buckwheat noodles sold at the register

On our way out, near the register, they sold packaged buckwheat noodles to cook at home. If you love noodle dishes, it seemed worth grabbing a bag on the way out.

Is Sokcho Topgol Makguksu worth it with parents?

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch is a Sokcho makguksu restaurant that brought out the natural, clean flavors of its ingredients without a heavy MSG taste. From the nutty deulmemak to the hearty perilla noodle soup, none of the dishes were harsh, so everyone felt comfortable after the meal. With its easy access to Sokcho Beach and solid parking support, it's a satisfying choice for a family trip or a proper meal out with parents.